Interview du mag allemand PlanetDS auprès des développeurs eux aussi teutons du jeu DS Nanostray :
 
 
PlanetDS.de: Hello Manfred, since our last interview did some and sends to Nintendo the new Handheld generation into running.
How far did your first game for the Nintendo DS, Nanostray progress?
 
 
Manfred Linzer: The development precedes as planned. Owing to the always fast support of Nintendo with technical questions, there were also no larger hurdles.
 
PlanetDS.de: If one regards oneself the development from Iridion to Iridion II, which will change with Nanostray?
Do we have to think of an indirect successor?
 
Manfred Linzer: Nanostray is a completely new title, and no indirect Iridion successor. Comparisons knows one the titles however already, since they naturally originate from the same category. Iridion II was technical in for instance on the level of AXELAY on the SNES, while Nanostray plays nevertheless rather in the IKARUGA graphics league.
 
And everyone that complained that the Action was not fast enough in Iridion II, can I in any case, promise that we did not only loosen the emergency brake in Nanostray, but also changed from city traffic to the motorway in sense of speed.
 
PlanetDS.de: Can you tell us more about the new play principle, which new strategies to use, which are now possible via Touchscreen, etc.?
Which functions of the DS find it's use with Nanostray?
 
Manfred Linzer: Nanostray supports the Touchscreen and SingleCatridge multi-boot. -he is reffering to the single cart multiplayer for nanostray!!
 
Particularly the 2-Player mode looks very promising right now. The Touchscreen has many tasks. For example the selecting of weapons, scanning of opponents, scanning of the environment and also all status information are there accommodated.
 
PlanetDS.de: Regarding graphics a whole lot has changed since IridionII, what graphics will await us on the DS? Does the graphics consist of prerendered background, or is the game calculated in real time?
 
 
Manfred Linzer: The graphics are completely real time-generated. I think, we do not exaggerate, if we maintain that Nanostray becomes the graphics reference for the DS same as Iridion 2 was for the GBA. The quality of the textures used in Nanostray exceeds every other DS game in resolution and the number of colors used. Also the graphic details of the individual levels and the animations of the opponents and levels are outstanding on the DS.
The game runs, in contrary to many other DS games, allways at super-liquid 60fps.
 
Contrary to the official Nintendo Tools we have developed our own engine, it is specialized in 3D animations in real time, instead of loading as at the DS otherwise usually it as before-computed data from the Game Card to. The advantage for us is that all 3D animations can always run in 60fps and that we can pack far more 3D animations into the game than usual.
 
PlanetDS.de: Which Multiplayerfeatures will be offered in Nanostray? Will there be a similar highscore list as with iridion 2?
 
Manfred Linzer: A Worldranking is planned as still with Iridion2 and a few further features. Unfortunately we can say nothing concrete about it right now.
 
PlanetDS.de: How simple or hard was the development on the DS?
 
Manfred Linzer: The DS development is simpler generally than at the GBA.
On the other hand things is new stuff like the Touchscreen, the WLAN support, the 2 screens and some different one new ground, which requires some development time.
 
A large advantage of the DS opposite the GBA is its 4MB large, fast main storage. The GBA had only 32kb snaps memory and it was much exerting, for a game such as Iridion2 all often used routines and often used data to be packed into this 32kb memory.
 
PlanetDS.de: Nintendo DS: Innovation liberty or innovation obligation?
Will developers come up with new ideas or hold back with them to offer old conventions?
 
 
Manfred Linzer: I think that the developers do not have a problem, at creating new concepts. Some will concentrate on the new abilities the DS offers others will use their old concepts with new ideas based on the touchscreen, double screen, etc. I think both will be apreciated by gamers who own a DS.
 
The DS will sure have a lot of games, which rely mainly on the new features. The majority will however try to unite the new features with popular and proven game concepts.
 
PlanetDS.de: From Shin'en we are already accustomed toward sound.
Which carries out for the DS in the comparison to the Game Boy Advance.
Again does a sound TRACK come to us?
 
Manfred Linzer: The DS is decisively superior in things sound to the GBA. One can say in approximately that they trebled the maximum Polyphony and the quality of the Samples doubled in each case to.
 
We also developed our own Sequencer software and Tools for the DS, like we did with the GBA before, which make it simple to bring very good sound quality into the games.
 
Some DS of games with our sound TRACKs already appeared (Spiderman DS, PingPals) and a further half dozen is in development.
 
Whether or not for Nanostray also a sound TRACK will appear, depends on the sales figures of the game. We would make that gladly again, since the "Iridion 2" sound TRACK was a full success and is already for some time is sold off (hint: There are still residues with Synsoniq).
 
PlanetDS.de: To the end the mandatory question: Pepsi or Coke? DS or PSP?
Will we be able to admire in the future also shinen projects on the PSP?
 
Manfred Linzer: We will develop further games for the DS.
Generally we find however the PSP from developer view interesting.
 
PlanetDS.de: Which Handheld games does the Shin'en team play in the spare time?
 
Manfred Linzer: At present Mario64 DS. We loved it at the N64 and now it is even better all around in the DS version.
 
PlanetDS.de: What is your conclusion about the new handhelds?
 
Manfred Linzer: Buy the DS, only because of Mario64.
And if you don't like Jump'n'Runs, then wait for Nanostray wink